Forum Post: FREAKY, US Systemic Risks, Risks of Central Control, Risks of Non-local Food Sources, Risks of Globalsim, Risks of Current Politics, End Result is Not National Security
Posted 12 years ago on Feb. 17, 2012, 4:45 p.m. EST by Middleaged
(5140)
This content is user submitted and not an official statement
Our US Future is not only bleak, but there is an overhang of systemic risks like a pile of snakes!
US Systemic Risks, Economic Risk, Banking and Financial Risks, Risks of Central Control, Risks of Non-local Food Sources, Risks of Globalism, Risks of Stomping around the Globe and trying to influence Everything to our own advantage, Risks of Current Politics (Look at this NOT THAT!!), Risks that ordinary people can't get enough information to vote before presidential elections, Risks that Reality Shaped by US Politicians and Media is a TOTAL COVER UP, Risks that US Politics by it's Nature is a Cover Up, Deceit, A Business, and it succeeds based on FEAR and SMEAR, the End Result is Not National Security.
The US Faces Many risks to it's future as a result of politics and geopolitical machinations. The End Result is Not National Security. The result is increased risks to all in the USA and to other countries in which we meddle. And Frankly, isn't kind of Freaky how US Politicians try to control the message, control the Narrative, Spin the facts, and produce propaganda not only about our domestic manufacturing base (wow, where did it go?), but also about foreign adventurism we know as War (But it is a Defense Department not a War Department although it hasn't defended anything since Pearl Harbor). And isn't it FREAKY that no Politician will dare put out plans to create an environment for manufacturing in the US or the UK. (what we don't manufacture here any more? who me?)
How safe is our Economy and our Food Distribution System? It looks pretty dismal to very risky considering the extreme interconnectedness of all our Financial Systems, $600 Trillion Dollars worth of derivatives globally which are all linked together. What happens today if our security, safety, and economy depend on imports like raw materials, petroleum, lumber, rare metals, food, water, clothing, textiles, banking, purchases of federal bonds or treasury bills, etc.
How safe are foreign countries from US Meddling, CIA interdiction, corporate Lobbying, military force, government overthrows, assassinations, Economic Hitmen, Jackals, IMF and World Bank Mandates, and Too Big Too Fail Banks???? Not safe at all. Look at Libya, Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Chile, Ecuador, El Salvador, Nicaragua, British Guyana, and Iran in the 1950s.
http://www.democracynow.org/2006/3/31/exclusive_noam_chomsky_on_failed_states
Maybe I'm a Dreamer like John Lennon. I believe Noam Chomsky on this Geopolitical Intrigue. Wikipedia says Geopolitics: comprises the art and practice of analyzing, proscribing, forecasting, and the using of political power over a given territory. The Bush Doctrine says, "The US reserves the right to first strike any country". And the policy on Failed States is the "US will intervene militarily in any failed state/country". Never mind, that the cost of maintaining our military in war, fight wars in Iraq and Afghanistan will cost $4 Trillion US dollars according to Brown University Study. Wake up. Wake up. Taxpayers better live in small houses, so that they can pay these taxes while raising your family, buying cars, and funding public education.
http://news.brown.edu/pressreleases/2011/06/warcosts
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geopolitics
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E761H614ItE&feature=related
And what is the Risk that Money is not only influencing our Government through Lobbying, but that Government protects it's own wages, it's own careers, and blocks transparency and information??? It is a Severe Risk that has gotten us into both Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq (both of which were obvious money traps that we can't easily extract ourselves from, exposed our young Americans to physical harm, and which diminish our national defense posture rather than help it).
http://www.walmartsubsidywatch.org/ http://www.truth-out.org/money-throws-democracy-overboard/1329232850 http://billmoyers.com/episode/full-show-how-big-banks-are-rewriting-the-rules-of-our-economy/
Much of what is discussed about Neoliberalism is in the context of Economics Globalism. However clearly it is part of politics, lobbying, and government.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neoliberalism
"Neoliberalism is a contemporary form of economic liberalism that emphasizes the efficiency of private enterprise, liberalized trade and relatively open markets to promote globalization. Neoliberals therefore seek to maximize the role of the private sector in determining the political and economic priorities of the world."
One point is that the USA was build on Economic Protectionism: Tariff Policies (Taxes) on imported goods. Now we claim "Free Trade" policies and our manufacturing base in the US is gone. Additionally we have seen the rise of financialisation where things as ephemeral as energy have become commodities and sold (remember ENRON, No Document Home Loans, and Credit Default Swaps that tanked AIG). Bigger corporate mergers (TBTF Banks) and the reduction of powers of Antitrust Laws also should be blamed on the advance of neoliberalism.
The above link in Wikipedia details additional policies of Neoliberalsim.
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2011/04/02-5
"One hundred years ago, antitrust policy was a populist policy. It was seen as a way not just to break up cartels, but to challenge concentrated economic and political."
http://richardfalk.wordpress.com/2011/11/08/rejecting-neoliberalism-renewing-the-utopian-imagination/ http://voiceamidstsilence.blogspot.com/2011/03/neo-liberalism-rejected.html http://www.businessday.co.za/articles/Content.aspx?id=161212 http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?storycode=418295
1) The SEC often settles or makes deals to accept a penalty from the bank with the biggest banks on charges of money laundering or other banking violations. 2) Too Big To Fail (TBTF) banks often repeat violations within 1-2 years for behavior they agreed in court to stop engaging in. 3) How can any little guy with a limited budget compete with big lobbyist and big corporations with Billions of Dollars? 4) End lobbying by Foreign Interests Today. 5) End Lobbying in Washington DC Tomorrow as the first step in Campaign Finance Reform.
William Black is a Professor of Law at UMKC. He is a former regulator in the banking industry and was key witness in defending individual taxpayers (FDIC Insurers) and individual rights against accounting fraud that characterized the Savings and Loan Banking Scandal of the 1980s.
1) Perverse Incentives 2) Dishonest deals Displace Honest Economic Activity 3) Characteristics of Criminal banking Activity 4) Lack of Prosecutions 5) Hope for Prosecutions
Click on any link. The first link is shorter.
Brief 17 minutes run down on current environment: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9Qe0HlKKfw http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36kizAjPmuo&list=PL0F4ACDBAAD6AA9CA&index=2&feature=plpp_video
Teaching session 56 minutes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&NR=1&v=6YT84CokUsA Controversy about firing US AG: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I12oDVr2RZQ&feature=related
If Washington DC Controls all the Money, is in Bed with the Bankers that they get money from, Doesn't prosecute Fraud, Creates Enormous Debt, and Starts all the Wars .... then let's just set up our social programs and cut the Federal Government Down to WWI levels.
Possible Action/Strategy Ideas:
One guys Ideas on Aiding Jobs Creation and Stimulating the Economy:
http://occupywallst.org/forum/economics-stimulus-taxes-jobs-regulations-revolvin/
http://www.truth-out.org/im-suing-fbi-cia-and-other-government-agencies/1329488460
Systemic problems abound, we will be forced to get back to basics whether we like it or not.
This consumerist lifestyle cannot be supported in a global marketplace.
William K. Black, Lawyer, Professor at UMKC, and former federal bank regulator, says the lack of Financial reforms and Financial Prosecutions is a Huge Systemic Risk for the USA. President Obama's plan is too little too late.
You can't predict the mechanisms of financial failures. Therefore, you have to shrink the size of the banks. End too big too fail Banks (Big New york Banks).
Video:
http://therealnews.com/t2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=74&jumival=7926
In my honest opinion the US is like Rome that has become so corrupt and is now on Fire. Good Video.
The States don't have the manpower to investigate the millions of Frauds that turn up every year. The Federal Government needs a task force of both regulators and those that can refer crimes to the mortgage fraud investigators, and also probably needs 1000 or even 2000 FBI Agents at minimum. There are millions of Frauds in Mortgage Loans to be investigated.
The Biggest pile of Systemic Snakes (at least for me today) is:
1) All the Money that is Transferred from Tax Payers to the Military, Security Contractors, Private Prisons, and all the other related business. This makes it a kind of security subsidy.
2) The Security Subsidy is all the worse since the money flows are from many different directions. This means it is very hard to nail down all the money and get a real total.
3) So lets list some of the kinds of money:
a) National Guard.
b) Reserves.
c) Active Duty Regular Uniformed Military.
d) Defense Employees.
e) Intelligence Employees.
f) Department of Homeland Security.
g) Construction Funds for Homeland Security.
h) Duplicate work and construction for Homeland Security since it is all so secret they don't know what everyone is doing (leadership problem).
i) War Construction in countries where we now have US Military.
j) Federal Prisons Construction.
k) Private Security Firms for US Military and Foreign Governments.
l) Private Prisons run for the Federal Government.
m) Leases and Construction for existing older US Navy, Air Force, Army bases in the US and around the world.
n) Employment of Foreign Civilians in Germany, Japan, South Korea, Guam, Philippines, Bikini Atoll, United Kingdom, Belgium, Italy, Spain, etc.
o) Negative Flow of US Dollars for all dollars Spent Overseas in Foreign Countries (opportunity type cost).
p) Cost of Veteran Care/Health Care/Therapy/Physical Therapy/Rehabilitation/Construction Costs for Veteran hospitals.
q) Cost of Pensions for Security Apparatus employees, Emergency employees like firemen, Uniformed Military Personnel,
r) Pensions for Wounded Military Personnel and their tax waiver on military pensions.
s) Military Equipment Costs, Security Facilities and Equipment Costs to the Federal Government, and these costs are higher in war time, and these costs are higher if you add new technology.
t) Federal Contractor Employees for the Security Apparatus like the defense deparment that are not covered by #k above.
Hi Middleaged, Thank you for post and links. Best Regards, Nevada
Thanks. Good be appreciated by someone like you trained in science.